On Sunday evening, March 15, the grand ballroom of Terrace on the Park served as the backdrop for a milestone event that transcended the typical boundaries of a communal fundraiser. As guests arrived for the 36th Annual Dinner of Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim, it became clear that the evening was designed to be a living demonstration of the very values the yeshivah instills in its talmidim every day.
The tone for the evening was set long before the first guest took a seat at the dinner table. In a departure from the standard social reception, the pre-program hours were dedicated to intensive Torah study. Upstairs, rooms were temporarily transformed into satellite batei medrash, as shiurim were delivered by the yeshivah’s distinguished magidei shiur and the Rosh HaYeshivah, HaRav Doniel Lander.
Participants moved between sessions, eager to absorb insights from HaRav Michoel Elias, HaRav Avraham Kaplan, and HaRav Naftoli Rubin. Simultaneously, a dedicated women’s program featured the Mashgiach Ruchani, HaRav Mordechai Finkelman.
The dais reflected the expansive reach of the yeshivah’s influence. Seated in places of honor were prominent rabbinic leaders including Rabbi Yehoshua Basch, Rabbi Moshe Bamberger, Rabbi Moshe Burger, Rabbi Menachem Genack, Rabbi Moshe Dovid Ginsberg, Rabbi Shmuel Goldfinger, Rabbi Eliyahu Greenberg, Rabbi Avraham Kaplan, Rabbi Yehuda Krauss, Rabbi Yisroel Krumbein, Rabbi Yoni Millman, Rabbi Yitzchak Mirsky, Rabbi Aryeh Polansky, Rabbi Yitzchak Rabinavici, Rabbi Yehoshua Reiss, Rabbi Naftoli Rubin, and Rabbi Yehuda Weiss. They were joined by HaRav Noach Isaac Oelbaum, HaRav Mordechai Finkelman, and Rosh HaYeshivah HaRav Doniel Lander.
This gathering of leadership served as a testament to the vision established by the Rosh HaYeshivah’s father, the legendary Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander, zt”l. The senior Rabbi Lander envisioned a center of Torah that would remain relevant and rigorous in the modern world, and that vision was visibly flourishing in the diverse crowd of alumni, parents, and supporters filling the room. Guiding the yeshivah today, the Rosh HaYeshivah continues this mission.
The centerpiece of the evening was the presentation of the M’Dor L’Dor Award to Shmuel and Yocheved Prager. The Pragers represent the ideal of a family whose identity is inextricably linked to the yeshivah. For the Pragers, Ohr Hachaim is not just a school their children attended; it is a multi-generational partner.
“Years ago, my wife and I sent our two sons to the yeshivah,” Mr. Prager shared. “Years later, our family sent seven grandsons—with two more on the way.”
This multi-generational connection is something I have seen personally. As the “candyman” at Agudath Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, I have the privilege of interacting with the younger generation of the Prager family. Watching these children grow, seeing their midos and their genuine excitement for learning makes the concepts discussed at the dinner feel very real.
The focus then shifted to Rabbi Yehuda Leib Fogel, who was honored with the Harbotzas Torah Award. As Alumnus of the Year, Rabbi Fogel’s journey serves as a roadmap for current talmidim. He spoke candidly about his twenty-three-year relationship with the yeshivah, stating simply, “In many ways, I never really left.”
Rabbi Fogel shared a moving story about his time as a young yungerman. After getting married and moving to Passaic, the daily commute began to take a financial toll. He casually mentioned the rising cost of gas and tolls to the Rosh HaYeshivah. Without being asked, HaRav Doniel Lander quietly arranged a small administrative role for him within the yeshivah—just enough to ensure he could continue his studies without the burden of travel expenses.
As the formal program concluded, guests queued up to receive copies of the Rosh HaYeshivah’s newly published work, Chiddushei Doniel. I stood nearby with my friend, Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, as he prepared to receive a copy from his rebbe. While trying to capture a photo for his family, I noticed a young man who had just received his sefer. He hadn’t even made it back to his table before he was completely absorbed in the text. A friend jokingly asked if he wanted to save a few pages for the ride home.
The young man didn’t even look up. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’ve been transported back to the beis medrash.”
In that moment, the entire purpose of the 36th Annual Dinner was crystalized. It wasn’t about the plaques or the speeches. It was about the fact that a young man, in the middle of a crowded, noisy ballroom, could be instantly pulled back into the world of Torah by the words of his teacher. It brought me back as well—to the privilege I once had of learning, even briefly, with Rabbi Dr. Bernard Lander, zt”l, during summer afternoons at Lander College for Men. To see that same Torah continuing so vividly in the next generation was something that could not be manufactured.
Walking out of Terrace on the Park, it was obvious that Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim is not merely an educational institution, but an engine of Jewish continuity. It is a place where the Torah of the past is planted like Yaakov’s trees, ensuring that the sanctuary of the future has the sturdy beams it needs to stand strong for generations to come.
Photo Credit: Mark Mittel of Masterpiece Studio
By Shabsie Saphirstein
